Hydraulically operated adjustable bed



Aug. 1, 1950 T. v. cox 2,517,466

HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED ADJUSTABLE BED Filed June 22, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet1 Aug. 1, 1950 v. cox 2,517,466

HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED ADJUSTABLE BED Filed June 22, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet2 Aug. 1, 1950 T.'V. cox 2,517,466

HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED ADJUSTABLE BED Filed June 22, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet3 Aug. 1, 1950 T. v. cox 2,517,466

HYDRAULICALLY OPERATED ADJUSTABLE BED Filed June 22, 1946 4 Sheets-Sheet4 k f fizzzZiyo/a Patented Aug. 1, 1950 2,517,466 HYDRAULICALLY OPERATEDADJUSTABLE BED Truitt V. Cox, Greensboro, N. (3., assignor of onehalf toHerbert H. Ogburn, Greensboro, N. C.

Application June 22, 1946, Serial N0. 678,611.,

This invention relates to beds and has special reference to beds havinadjustable bottoms such as are used for invalids and in hospitals.

More particularly the invention relates to beds with hydraulicallyadjustable bottoms.

One important object of the invention is to provide an improved generalconstruction for beds of this description.

A second important object of the invention is to provide an improved andnovel operating means for beds having adjustable bottoms, which meansmaybe utilized in connection with the usual form of hospital beds.

A third important object of the invention is to provide a noveladjustable bed bottom structure and hydraulic means for operating thebed bottom associated with said structure, the whole being so arrangedthat it may be readily assembled with and removed from the ordinaryhospital bed.

A fourth important object of the invention is to provide novel hydraulicoperating means for adjusting the bottoms of beds of the foregoingcharacter.

A fifth important object of the invention is to provide a novelhydraulic operating means whereby the head and foot sections of a bedbottom having independently adjustable sections may be selectivelyoperated and simultaneously operated at the will of a nurse or otherattendant.

A sixth important object of the invention is to provide a novelhydraulic operating means for the purpose set forth wherein a singlepump cylinder is utilized forthe supply of two pressure cylinders havingselective conduit connections therewith.

With the above and other objects in View as will presently be apparentthe invention consists in general of certain novel details ofconstruction and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawing and particularly claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate likeparts in the several views and- Figure l is a side elevation of a bedhaving adjustable head and foot sections and showing the hydraulicadjusting means associated therewith.

Figure 2 is a plan view of the bed shown in Figure 1 but having the bedbottom removed to better show the operating parts. i

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 but show in a modified form ofthe invention.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section on the line 4-4 of Figured. I t t l 4Claims.

Figure5 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 5-5 of Figure 2.A

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section taken. through the hydraulicmechanism and substantially on the line 6-6 of Figure '7.

Figure 7 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section, the viewbeing taken substantially on the line 1'l of Figure 6.

Figure 8 is a detail elevation of certain valve handles used herein andillustrating the several control positions of the valves to which theyare attached. i

In the embodiment of the invention as herein disclosedthere is shown abed frame having end members each provided with a pair of legs is andside rails ll. These siderails are formed from angle irons whichhavehorizontal legs directed toward each other and upstanding verticallegs so as to form confronting track members. Furthermore each pair oflegs l0 has its legs connected by a cross bar l2. On the side rails iirests the bed bottom having a medially disposed portion l3 extending fora short distancelongi tudinally of the bed and spanning the spacebetween the side rails. This portion it is suitably fixed in position bymeans not here shown but which may be of common character such as boltsor other equivalent means. To one of the transversely extending edges ofthe portion it there is hinged a back supporting portion i l which maylie in the horizontal position shown in dotted lines in Figure 1 or maybe swung upwardly as shown in full lines in that figure. To the othertransverse edge of the portion Hi there is hinged a forward legsupporting portion [5 andto the rear edge of the latter there is hingeda rear leg supporting portion it. As will also be seen from Figure 1these leg supports may be moved between horizontal and upwardly inclinedpositions.

In the form of the device shown in Figures 2. and 5 there is provided ateach end of the bed frame a carriage I? of general U-shape the sides ofwhich are connected by intersecting brace bars 18. The U-shaped frame ispreferably made of angle iron with the sides fitting loosely in theangles of the bed rails II. The horizontal legs of the carriage sidesare slotted as at If! so that small wheels or rollers 20 carried on stubshafts may project therethrough and support the. carriage.

In the form shown in Figures 3 and 4 there isprovided a pair ofauxiliary rails 2| which lie close to but between the bed rails II. Theends of the rails 2| rest on the cross bars l2 and may be suitablysecured immovably thereto. Carriages,

22 run on the rails 2| and are similar in all respects to the carriagesI! being provided with supporting wheels 23.

In each of these forms the sides of the head carriage are provided attheir rear ends with brackets 24 which are connected by struts 25 withbrackets 26 carried by the head end of the support l4. Similarly theother carriage has brackets 21 connected by struts 28' with brackets 29carried by the rear part of the leg support l5. This construction issuch that movement for elevation of a bed bottom portion is effectedwhenever the respective carriage is moved toward the adjacent bed end.Also each form has each carriage provided with a bracket 30 for purposeswhich will be presently set forth.

Extending transversely of the bed at about midway of its length is apair of spaced carrier bars 3| in the form of angle irons or the like.In the form shown in Figure 2 the bars 3| are secured firmly to the bedrails I I while the form shown in Figure 3 has these bars fixed to theauxiliary rails 2 I. These bars 3| support a casting 32 which formsthemain part of the hydraulic mechanism proper. In the lower part of thiscasting there is bored a pump cylinder 33 having at one end a closure 34resting against a packing ring or gasket 35. This. closure is providedwith a bore 36 for the passage of a piston rod 37 and the outer end ofthe bore 36 is enlarged and threaded for the reception'of a gland 38engaging packing 39 so as to ensure an oiltight fit for the piston rod33'. The inner end of the rods! is reduced to form a seat for a pistonmember 40. Fitted on said reduced end and bearing against the member Allis an intermediate piston member 4! carrying a packing ring 42 to ensurea tight fit of the piston in the cylinder. A rear piston member 43 ismounted on rod 3? and is provided with a chamber 44 facing the member41. The chamber 44 communicates with the rear end of the cylinder 33through a passage 45 and with the front end Of the cylinder through apassage 46- extending through the. members 40 and ll. In the chamber Mis a valve 41; controlling. passage 46' and this valve is urged: toclose said passage by a spring All. A nut 49 serves to hold the pistonparts on the rod 31. At the bottom of the casting is a transversebearing 50 wherein is jour-- nailed a shaft I. Rock arms 52 have theirlower ends pinned on the shaft 51 and extend up on each side of thecasting 32. The upper ends of these arms are pivoted to the rear ends oflinks 53 which extend forwardly and have their forward ends connected toa cross-head as by means of a pin 55. The cross-head 5 1 is fixed on theforward. end of the piston. rod 37. Carried by the bars 3i is anoutboard bearing plate 56 through which the shaft. 5.1. extends.projecting portion of the shaft 5! is keyed or otherwise fixed a disk 5?having adjacent its periphery a plurality of pin receiving openings 58-.Rotatably mounted on-the shaft 5| and held on its outer end by a nut 59is an operating lever 60 having a head end fitting the shaft andcarrying a spring pressed pin 6! positioned for selective engagement inthe pin receiving openings 58. This arrangement permits the lever to beadjusted to a convenient position for the use of a nurse or otheroperator. It may now be seen that oscillation of the lever Gil will rockthe arms 53 which will effect oscillation of the links 53 andconsequently will reciprocate the piston. in the pump cylinder. At 62 isan oil reservoir and at one side of. this reservoir is a valve casing.63

On the.

4 which communicates with the lower part thereof by a passage 64 whichopens upwardly into a valve chamber 65. A ball check valve 66 is held inthis chamber and opens upwardly to allow flow of oil from the tank. Theupper end of the chamber 65 is closed by a suitable plug 51 and justbelow this plug a passage 68 leads laterally and then downwardly to openinto the forward end of the cylinder 33 close behindthe closure 34. Thusupon movement of the piston to the right from the position shown inFigure 6 oil will be drawn into the forward end of the cylinder but uponreturn movement of the piston the valve 41 will lift and the oil in theforward end will flow through passage d6, chamber 44 and passage 45into-the rear end of the cylinder.

Extending axially and then upwardly from the end of the cylinderopposite the closure 34 is a passage l0 which opens into a valve chamberll wherein is an upwardly opening check valve 12. The chamber H has itsupper end. closed by a plug 13 and from said chamber extends a manifold14 which communicates by means of branches 75 with two frusto-conicalvalve chambers 16 in each of which is fitted a valve 11 having a passagewith ends opening at right angles to each other as is common in threeway valves. Passages !8 extend toward each. other from these valvechambers but terminate in spaced relation. At the upper part of thecasting 32 there is bored an alined pair of pressure cylinders 69 havingtheir inner ends held from communication by a septum 80. These cylinders19 have their remote ends closed by suitable closures 8| having theusual openings for the piston rod 82. On the inner ends of the rods 82are mounted the pistons 83 and these pistons are provided with suitablepacking means 84 similar to that used in the pump cylinder. The rods 82form operative connections between the cylinders and carriages. Passages85 connect the passages 18 with the cylinders 79.. Also return passages86 connect the valve chambers it with the upper part of the tank 62.Each valve Tl is provided with a stem 87 which projects through thebearing plate 56 and has on its outer end an operating handle 88.Referring to Figures 6 and 8 it is to be understood that with. thevalves themselves in the positions of Figure 6 the handles will be inthe positions A and communication will exist between the pump cylinderand both pressure cylinders. If the valves be turned to connect thepressure cylinders with the return passages 86 the handles will be inthe position B. Finally, if the handles be turned tothe positions C thevalves will have been turned so that no communication can exist betweenthe valve chambers 76 and either the pump cylinder or the pressurecylinders. Obviously the valves 71 may be operated independently of eachother.

By reference to Figure 6 it will be seen that the usual means embodyingany device such as a nut, washer and spring shown at 89 may be used toprevent leakage at the control valves.

What is claimed, is:

1. In a bed including tiltably mounted head and leg supporting frames, abed frame, a bottom supported by said'bed frame, hydraulic means forvertically adjusting said supporting frames including a pump, a pair ofcylinders having conduit communication with said pump, and an operativeconnection between each cylinder and arespective supporting frame, saidoperative connection including a travelling carriage for each supportingframe, and links connecting the respective carriage and supportingframe.

2. In a bed having a pair fof 'longitudinally extending rails and abottom including a fixed central section, a. head supporting sectionhinged to one edge of the central section, a leg supporting sectionhinged to the opposite edge of the central section, carriages running onsaid rails, links connecting the free edge portion of each supportingsection with a respective carriage, and means to move said carriagesalong said'frails, said means including a pair of hydraulic cylindersand an operative connection between each cylinder and a respectivecarriage.

3. In a bed having a pair of longitudinally extending rails and a bottomincluding a fixed central section, a head supporting section hinged toone edge of the central section, a leg supporting section hinged to theopposite edge of the central section, carriages running on said rails,links connecting the free edge portion of each supporting section with arespective carriage, and means to move said carriages along said rails,said means including a pair of hydraulic cylinders, an operativeconnection between each cylinder and a respective carriage, and means.fOl SllpDlYiIlg fluid under pressure selectively to said cylinders.

4; Ida. bed including tiltably mounted head and'leg supporting frames, abed frame, a bottom supported by said bed frame, hydraulic means forvertically adjusting said supporting frames including a pump, a pair ofcylinders having conduit communication with said pump, and! an operativeconnection between each cylinder and a respective supporting frame, saidoperative connection including a traveling carriage for each supportingframe, and means connecting the respective carriage and supportingframe.

-'- TRUITT V. COX.

REFERENCES CITED Thefollpwing references are of record in. the fllepfthis patent:

I; UNITED STATES PATENTS" Number A

